One council: Your Oxfordshire
Local government reorganisation
We are asking residents across Oxfordshire for thoughts about our interim proposal for a single unitary council for Oxfordshire as part of wider local government reorganisation across the country.
This engagement exercise is open for comments until 11.59pm on Sunday 27 July 2025. Your views will help inform our final proposal that we will send to the government by 28 November 2025.
Introduction
The government has said it wants to simplify how local government works to make it better for local people.
In Oxfordshire this means replacing Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council with a newly formed unitary council, or councils. Unitary authorities are responsible for all services in a local area alongside town and parish councils. The government thinks that unitary councils can lead to better outcomes for residents.
How is local government currently organised in Oxfordshire?
Currently, six councils provide services in Oxfordshire:
- Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for a range of services including adult and children’s social care, some education services, fire and rescue, libraries and museums, roads, trading standards, waste disposal and recycling.
- Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council are responsible for a range of services including planning, council housing, community and leisure centres, parks, bin collection and street cleaning.
Proposals for local government reorganisation in Oxfordshire
In February 2025, the government invited councils in Oxfordshire to submit an interim proposal or proposals for local government reorganisation, with full proposals by 28 November 2025. There are three options being developed for Oxfordshire.
1. A single unitary council for Oxfordshire – Oxfordshire Council (responsible for all services for Oxfordshire residents). This is our preferred option.
- Oxford and Shires Council (previously referenced as North Oxfordshire Council) created from the existing district councils of Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire.
- Ridgeway Council created from the existing district councils of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse and the unitary council of West Berkshire.
3. Three unitary councils – with a unitary city on expanded boundaries (referred to as Greater Oxford) as well as northern and southern unitaries, also including West Berkshire.
Your Oxfordshire: local government reorganisation
Oxfordshire County Council’s preferred option is for a single unitary council for Oxfordshire.
One council: Your Oxfordshire
We believe a single unitary council for Oxfordshire will create stronger, simpler services that are closer to communities, cost effective and connected.
Have your say
- Please fill in our online survey by clicking the ‘TAKE SURVEY’ button in the survey section below.
- We are also asking the same questions in our annual residents’ survey, which is being sent to 6,000 randomly selected households. If you have taken part in this, we have already captured your views.
Next steps
Your views will help inform our final proposal, alongside those of businesses, institutions and investors who we are engaging separately. The final proposal needs to be submitted to government by 28 November 2025. The government will then decide what form unitarisation will take in Oxfordshire.
More information is available on our dedicated webpages for LGR and devolution.